Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
My husband and I both recently read Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. It’s very rare for us to read the same book . It’s even rarer that he read it before me. He bought the book at a BookWise conference that we both attended last October. Brandon Mull was one of the speakers and did an author signing (hence the copy I read was signed). My husband spoke with him for a bit, later sent Brandon an email. And guess what? He’s a great guy! He emailed back. I’d tell you what he said but our computer crashed and I can’t find the email on the server. 
So it’s kinda sad when I have to say that both of us really struggled through Fablehaven. I really, really wanted to like it. For a Middle Grade Fiction book with large type and 351 pages I should have read this in 2-3 days top. It took me a week and half! But then again, I was spending all my time on the Book Reviews project.
Briefly stated, Fablehaven is about two children, Kendra and her brother Seth, who are off to spend two boring weeks with grandparents they hardly know. Things start off simply enough, but they soon find out that their grandparents are caretakers for a secret magical preserve where all type of creatures (fairies, witches, imps, trolls, satyrs - you get the picture) live. Things get out of hand, evil forces are unleashed, lives are threatened, and Kendra and her brother must save not only the Fablehaven preserve but their family as well.
I felt that Kendra and Seth were emotionally unbelievable. There emotions never seemed to match their situations. It all seemed a bit flat to me. There were plenty of twists and turns but they weren’t anticipated, they just happened out of the blue. The cover art for Fablehaven is beautiful, so I was really disappointed when I came across the first illustration in the book. Not only was it very poorly reproduced and so dark you could hardly make it out, but it was boring and dull. All the illustrations that followed were similar. My husband pointed out that he disliked how the illustration (of a house) on the chapter headers never changed. It would have been fun to see a different illustration for each chapter, otherwise why even have it?
Oh, Brandon, I’m feeling so guilty! I had to keep saying to myself while reading it: I am a twelve year old boy, I am a twelve year old boy, I am a twelve year old boy! So maybe if I was a boy and I was twelve, I probably would like this book. Don’t get me wrong, it was certainly creative and fun, but as an almost 30-something woman, Fablehaven just didn’t do anything for me. I think I wasn’t exactly his target audience. I may be willing to try the next two books, Fablehaven and the Rise of the Evening Star and Fablehaven and the Grip of the Shadow Plague (due out soon). Do they get better?
Visit Brandon Mull’s website. If you think you might like this book better than me, you can purchase Fablehaven from my BookWise bookstore!
And I thought I would mention that Brandon and his wife just celebrated the arrival of a new baby girl. Congrats to them!
I haven’t read “Fablehaven” but I think I will eventually. I have an 8 daughter who loves to read and she might be ready for it in a year or two.
Speaking of 12 year-old boys, I can’t wait for you to read “The Wednesday Wars”. Now there’s a book about 7th graders that is funny and touching with great characters and a great story. I hope I’m not hyping it too much because I can often be disappointed in books when I expect too much, but I am anxious to hear what you think of this one.
on April 3rd, 2008 at 8:10 amSorry you had that experience with this one! I really enjoyed it, but I have to admit that the sequels are much better than the original. I agree with you completely on the illustrations. I thought it would’ve been nice if they would’ve changed throughout the book. I got an advanced copy of the new book and it’s great. And I got to interview him recently for my blog and he really was a great guy! You can read that here if you’re interested. Great review…enjoyed reading your thoughts
on April 3rd, 2008 at 12:50 pmFor a clarification, my husband says he only struggled through the middle part of the book. He liked the beginning and the end. He wasn’t too happy when I made that generalization for him. I told him he could certainly make a comment on my blog, but I don’t think he ever will.
Kim - I should be reading Wednesday Wars pretty soon! To tell you the truth, I’m not looking forward to it, but I really want to read it.
Chris - I’ll make my way over to your blog and read your review. I was hoping to contact him for an interview as well, but after a less than steller review I’m having second thoughts. Maybe after I read the next two?
on April 3rd, 2008 at 1:06 pm[…] reviews Elija of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, and Bee Season by Myla […]
on April 4th, 2008 at 5:58 amI have to say, I feel a bit comforted by your review. I felt exactly the same way about this book, and I really wanted to like it. Maybe the set-up was too much, and my expectations were too high! I just found myself not connecting emotionally with the characters, or finding their motives very believable. Because of Chris’s recommendation, I may eventually try others in the series.
on April 5th, 2008 at 6:13 amI probably liked the book better than you did, but don’t feel a need to read the sequels. I really didn’t care for the fairies much and Grandma as a chicken. But the cover art is wonderful. I like the way Mull wrote well enough to keep an eye out for other books he will write.
on April 5th, 2008 at 8:53 amI hadn’t heard of these books so I appreciated your review! Sounds like something I’d like to read at some point just to know more about it but — no rush. Thanks for your thoughts!
on April 5th, 2008 at 2:26 pmThat’s tough when you REALLY REALLY want to like something. Hubby and I saw Leatherheads last night and he didn’t like it as well as I did. I told him–lower your expectations! I wasn’t being serious, but sometimes it feels that way. Maybe I’ll recommend this one to my 12-year-old brother. He certainly won’t have to convince himself that he’s a twelve year old boy. Although, getting him to read is almost as painful as pulling teeth.
on April 6th, 2008 at 8:22 amDarla - Oh good! I’m not the only one.
Framed - Grandma as a chicken was odd. That’s why I didn’t think the kids were believable. They were like, hmm. . . Grandma’s a chicken. Let’s take her to the witch and change her back.
Carrie - I’m in no rush to get to the sequels. Too much other fun stuff to read.
Trish - My husband always says that to himself when we are going to see a movie! He won’t even watch previews of movies he’s excited about because he doesn’t want to know anything about it.
on April 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pmActually if you look closely at the house illustrations you’ll see that they do change a little. the faries actually fly around the house, and after the big event (don’t want to give any spoiler) the house looks broken down.
I would definitely recommend that you at least try the third book coming out this month. As an author with Shadow Mountain, I got an advance copy and it’s great!
Let me ditto you comment about Brandon being a nice guy though. He is a class act all the way and has given me lots of advice.
on April 12th, 2008 at 8:16 pmScott - Thanks for stopping by my little humble blog! First, may I wish you much success with your new series, Far World. And might I add that you are very cunning indeed in your marketing! How can any blogger miss out on the fact that you have a future book release and blog tour? Very well done indeed. I wish you much success. I was mulling over the idea of requesting a ARC, but of course you run the risk of receiving a review like this one!
And you’re local (I’m in West Jordan), I always like to see local authors hitting it big. It seems as though Utah is putting out a lot of successful authors recently.
Anyways, I’ll go back and look at the illustrations. I do hope that Shadow Mountain can step up their reproductions though. Seemed a little “cheap-ish” to me. I do think I’ll give Brandon’s other books I try, although I’m not in a huge hurry to rush out and get them. Sometime though.
on April 13th, 2008 at 9:51 pmNatasha,
I’m willing to take my chances! Send me an e-mail and sign up for the tour. I’m actually going back to look at the inside illustrations now. Brandon Dorman is doing my cover and artwork as well, so I want to see what you didn’t like. I LOVE his covers. BTW, what did you think of Bookwise? I didn’t make it there.
on April 14th, 2008 at 9:37 amAlso, was it the hardback or paperback you read?
on April 14th, 2008 at 9:49 amScott - Ugh, so embarrassed. I can’t even spell cheap correctly! Anyways, I read the paperback of Fablehaven. I agree, I do love Brandon Dorman’s cover. I think that’s what makes this book so appealing. It draws you in with the beautiful artwork, colors, and the witch. It makes you want to read the book, the mark of a well done cover. Because the cover was so great, I think that’s why I was doubly disappointed when I came to the first illustration in the book.
First, let me add, I am by no means an expert in illustration but I do feel like I have a good eye. I know what I like and what I don’t like. In fact, my own college degree is in photography, so I definitely have a artists background. In addition, my husband is an amazing illustrator! At the age of 17, he authored, illustrated and published his own children’s picture book. He then went on to pursue a illustration degree, and then switched over to animation when it became available at BYU. He has a website if you were interested in looking at, but just keep in mind that we haven’t updated it for FOUR YEARS! A little crazy. It’s very out of date in regards to illustrations and animations he’s done. And his resume doesn’t reflect his last two jobs in the Animation industry. It’s http://www.taylormaw.com. Just remember that he’s much improved over the last four years as he’s now working in his field.
Anyways, the point being that I’m exposed to art quite a bit and it’s often discussed in our home. So with all of that aside, I felt the illustrations for Fablehaven were boring, flat, and reproduction awful (of course not Brandon’s fault, but the publishers).
First illustration (park with the gazebos) - Very static, flat, adds absolutely nothing to the story. Who cares? Would have been better without it. That and it was so poorly reproduced, that I could hardly make anything out.
Second illustration (fairy in the jar) - Very flat, the figure drawing of the fairy isn’t well done. Could have been a lot more dynamic. Not very creative. I’d have liked to see something going on with Seth and the fairy together rather than just seeing a shot of the fairy.
Third illustration (children in the room with the “invaders”) - One of the better ones but again so dark that I couldn’t make out what the creature on the left hand side is even supposed to be, especially since the face is hidden. The children are also very indifferent with no emotion on their face. Shouldn’t they be scared? Very lifeless.
Fourth illustration (grandma as the chicken) - Just okay. I’m sure it looks great in color but didn’t translate well into the book. I think I would have much rather seen the interaction between the grandmother and the children. Wouldn’t they be shocked that a chicken is really their grandmother? Instead, I just see the tops of a couple of shoes. Needs more action.
Fifth illustration (old church) - Straight on, flat and so dark I can’t see any of the details that I’m sure are there. Just not dynamic enough for my tastes.
Sixth illustration (hand grabbing the bowl) - Going back to this one I couldn’t even figure out what this was. What was going on in the story? I had to re-read through a couple of paragraphs so I could then “read” the illustration. I felt cheated. It wasn’t telling a story. Think of it like a movie. I’d like to see the scene played out a little rather than just a still shot of one piece of the action. Again very flat.
My husband, my mother-in-law and I all went through the chapter heading illustrations of the house and they DO NOT change in the slightest. The only thing that did vary was the the printing process made some really dark and others really light.
So in summary, the illustrations were too flat, too close up, emotionless and didn’t involve any action or the main characters. I can only hope that the reproduction is better in your upcoming book because it just didn’t translate well onto the printed page. I know authors have little to no say in the illustrations for their book. So the only thing I can say is be assertive and I hope they turn out well!
Probably more than you asked for! But hey, ask my opinion and you’ve got it.
As far as BookWise, I’ve been pleased thus far. They’ve had a lot of great events, seminars, and a lot of amazing training. They are constantly improving and working some kinks out as they’ve only been in existence for a year. I’m willing to work through these kinks and see where they take us. It’s fun to have my own bookstore, and if it wasn’t for BookWise, I wouldn’t have started this blog which so far as been the highlight. The last conference was great and we have another one this September. It would be great to see you there promoting your book!
on April 15th, 2008 at 7:57 pmWow, great insights. I recently suggested what scenes I thought would make good illustrations for Farworld. I was actually a little worried that I wanted almost all action scenes. This makes me feel better. I’m going to go compare the PB to the HB this afternoon. I know for sure that the illustrations in the HB change, so I’m wondering if they didn’t do that to save money on the PB? Maybe the same for the picture quality?
I’ve actually heard that Shadow Mountain is considering not using S&S for PB releases but doing their. Maybe that’s part of the reason.
Good to hear on Bookwise. Hopefully I will be there in September. The timing couldn’t be better!
I’m going to check your husband’s web site out now. Does he do books anymore. I know SM is always looking for good illustrators.
on April 16th, 2008 at 10:27 amI actually liked this series. Yes, it’s a little simplistic, but it’s for a younger reader. It didn’t bother me. Neither did the illustrations. I’m reading book 3 right now.
on May 7th, 2008 at 10:29 amIt’s the paperback version. Just checked out the PB of book 1, and the illustrations quality is terrible. And the illustrations don’t change like they do on the HB. I guess S&S was trying to keep down costs (Shadow Mountain didn’t do the PBs of that book) but it’s still a shame.
on May 8th, 2008 at 3:38 pmKarlene - I realize it’s for kids, but still . . . I will try the others at some point when I’m in the mood for some light reading.
J. Scott - Yep, it is a shame. Now that he’s hitting the bestseller lists, I imagine that the quality will get better. Hope yours turns out well.
on May 11th, 2008 at 9:51 pmI have five sons. My oldest, who is 14, LOVES the Fablehaven series and can’t wait for the next installment. My middle kid, 10, is also eagerly awaiting the next book. (He asked me to check it out from the library. They only have one of the first two books!) My 12 yo doesn’t read as much, but I should get him to give it a try.
So 12yo boy is about right, age wise!
on May 22nd, 2008 at 7:23 amIm 13 and i love Fablehaven!
on June 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pmIm currently reading the 3rd Fablehaven book and Brandon Mull might come to my school in the fall of 2009. I never really liked fantasy books until i read fablehaven!
I am a girl but i can relate to Seth so much more than Kendra because im so much more adventurous and im always getting into things!
If i was on the preserve i totally would of snuck out and go see all the new creatures!
I think that witch lady that lived in the shack was a freak! She was creapy!
Charity Walker
That J scott savage guy is totally wrong!
on June 2nd, 2008 at 8:17 pmOMG!
Charity - I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. You might be interested in this post where I met and have photos of Brandon Mull:
http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/05/20/childrens-book-festival/
Out of curiosity, what do you think J. Scott Savage is wrong about? We were discussing the illustrations in the book. If you liked Fablehaven you will probably like J. Scott Savage’s new fantasy book that comes out in the fall called Far World.
on June 2nd, 2008 at 8:29 pmI got the books, all three of them at the same time and my daughters and I love them and can’t wait for the fourth book to come out. The kids in the book are very similar to other kids we have known in our lives. We all have a curiosity and each of us have desires to have secret worlds to explore. Life would be very dull if we didn’t have imaginations to creat worlds where we can discover new and exciting things. We love how Brandon puts it that at some point some people forget to imagine what lies around them everyday and others can see things that others may never see.
It’s also good to have consequences to mistakes we make and then to know that you don’t always get out of a difficult sistuation very quickly. It can take alot of time and soul searching to learn from our mistakes and to try not to repeat them again.
If reading is hard to do some times, go with the CD’s because the narrator can make the people become real to you and then they are actually a living soul. Go and reread the books and listen to the CD’s. YOU WILL LOVE THEM!!!
on July 10th, 2008 at 9:53 pmDL Williams - After meeting Brandon Mull I definitly decided that I’m going to go ahead with the rest of the series. I need to start listening to more audio books in the car, I sure would get a lot more done.
on July 13th, 2008 at 9:26 pmI was indroduced to Fablehaven this August (2008)and found it at first hard to read but once I got past the fist couple of chapters, I had a hard time putting it down. Now I own all three of Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series.
on August 15th, 2008 at 6:54 pm[…] In fact, I’m far from it. After mentioning to J. Scott Savage that he could end up with a review like this one, he said he was willing to take the chance! But I’m really worried that I’m not going […]
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on August 28th, 2008 at 12:54 am